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Her tea cup was held delicately between her hands, warming her cold fingers as she gazed down at the cards laid out on the worn table. The Hermit was an old friend of her's, and certainly not out of the ordinary. It was the other three cards that had caught her attention, however, making her pause in her morning routine.
The Eight of Swords was, for once, reversed, and this was the first time she had ever drawn a Nine of Wands for herself. But the card that really caught her eye, that drew her gaze back to it no matter how many times she tried to look away, was the Knight of Cups.
The corner of her lips pinched, and her brow furrowed as her hands began to tremble slightly around her steaming cup of tea.
She was going to have a visitor today, for the first time in many, many years.
-
They say that the witch of the woods is a powerful sorceress, capable of terrifying magic. She has unspeakable power, and can see the future in her mind's eye. She once took down an entire army by herself, and still had magic to spare. She performs horrifying experiments in her tower, torturing anyone foolish enough to get too close. She's the reason why no one strays too far off the forest paths, lest they accidentally stumble upon her lair...
It was the sight of her sister's pale, clammy face and the words of the town doctor that had spurred Eli into finally taking action. Desperation is what drove her to wait until the house fell quiet with sleep, waiting until the stroke of midnight before quietly getting up. She turned to where her sister lay sleeping in bed, and placed the back of her hand against Alisa's forehead. She cursed under her breath; her fever still hadn't broken. The doctor had been of no help, and her stepmother was reluctant to spend money on medicine. She frowned, chewing on the inside of her cheek, her heart dully throbbing in her chest.
She had heard many stories about the witch of the woods. She was supposed to be dangerous, but if Alisa had any chance of survival...
Alisa coughed in her sleep, and Eli's mind was made up. She couldn't lose her sister. She had lost everything else in her life; she wasn't going to let Alisa go without a fight.
It was with this thought that Eli stole quietly out of the house under the cover of night, a small bag of her only possessions in her hands, her heart hardened for whatever lay ahead.
-
Nozomi's day had passed without incident; she had performed all her chores and rituals without interruption, had eaten all her meals alone, had reread one of the many books on the walls to waste the day away. She often stopped to peek out the window, or open the door a crack to see if anyone was coming. But time and time again, she was relieved (or was it disappointment?) to find no one on the path leading up to her tower.
It was well past midnight now, and the witch had long since given up hope of her fortune coming true. This happened sometimes, and it was nothing to be upset over. The cards couldn't always be right; fate worked in strange and wonderful ways, and Nozomi was simply grateful to be given even just a small glimpse into what destiny had in store for her. Still, to get her hopes up like that, it was silly, wasn't it? She wasn't a child anymore, after all.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a hiss and a clatter. She glanced up to find her incense on the floor, and her cat sitting prim and proper on the shelf, a smug smirk on her face. Nozomi kissed her teeth, a pout on her lips as she stood up to shoo the cat away. "You're such a brat, Soramaru," she teased gently, bending down to pick the burner off the floor. As she stood back up, however, a gleam caught the corner of her eye. Nozomi jerked her head around, and gasped when she saw the light of a small lamp, slowly bobbing its way up the path towards her tower.
The burner fell back to the floor with a clang. She could only stare, wide-eyed, out the window, too surprised to do anything for a long while. The cards were right.
She came back to her senses with a jolt, scrambling across her room to blow the flame out of her lamp. Her heart was beating too loud in her ears, her hands were shaking too hard as she crept back to the window. Maybe it was a mistake, maybe they would turn back...
"Madam witch!"
Nozomi flinched at the voice; it was clear and feminine, a musical lilt in every syllable. She swallowed hard, before carefully peering out the window, glancing over the edge to see her knight by the light of the moon.
It was a girl, with silky blond hair and bright blue eyes, her back ramrod straight and her jaw set as she stood in front of the tower door. Nozomi's heart began to beat even faster; she looked like she could tear the door down with her words alone.
"I know you're in there! I have a request for you!" Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides; she was the very image of determination. She took Nozomi's breath away, so much so that she almost missed the blonde girl's next words. "I'm willing to pay any price for your services, so please, just open your door and hear me out!"
The witch gripped her wrist tightly in her hand, her bottom lip between her teeth as her heartbeat pulsed in her ears. More than anything else, Nozomi wanted to help the girl. She was certain that whatever she needed, Nozomi could do it for her, whether through her own magic or by using one of the dusty old spellbooks or scrolls in the tower. But she hesitated. Fear gripped her heart tight in its clutches as she remembered her master's words.
Trust no one.
Nozomi trembled; her master was dead. The old witch held no power over Nozomi anymore; Nozomi was free to do whatever she wanted. She could open the door for this girl if she wanted. She could help her. She could.
Breathing deeply through her nose, she gathered all her courage, before finally, slowly, she leaned out the window, her fingers biting into the rough stone of the ledge. Her mouth suddenly felt dry, her lips cracked, but she found her voice. It broke over her words, and sounded too high-pitched in Nozomi's ears, but still she spoke up, her voice startling the girl at the door.
"My... my name is Nozomi. I will help you."
-
Of all the things Eli had been expecting, finding a pretty girl living alone in the tower in the woods wasn't one of them.
Eli had prepared herself to face down an old, wizened crone with a crooked back and an evil smile. The girl who had called down to her from the window, who was now lighting candles around the room, looked nothing like the witch from the stories. She had soft eyes and an easygoing drawl in her voice; Eli found it hard to believe this was the same witch who had killed an entire army.
The girl glanced back over her shoulder at Eli, and Eli immediately flustered over being caught staring. Witches couldn't read minds, could they? She tried clearing her thoughts, thinking of nothing but the smell of incense, the black cat staring at her from the doorway, the blisters on her feet...
"Would you like some tea?"
She blinked in surprise, looking up at the girl and finding her smiling warmly. "Yes, please," she managed to say, watching with interest as Nozomi's face brightened at her words. As the witch turned back around, curiosity got the best of Eli; she hesitated before speaking up, her voice carrying easily across the small room. "Excuse me, but are you really the witch of the woods?"
The witch peered back at the seated girl, her eyebrows raised in a silent question as she tilted her head slightly to one side. "Well, I am a witch and I live in the woods, so... I suppose that answers your question!" She grinned mischievously at Eli, and Eli frowned in reply.
"You know what I mean, are you the witch in the stories? Who has enough power to kill hundreds of soldiers, and experiments on people with magic?" She stared hard at the girl with too long hair, whose smile was finally faltering as she nervously glanced away from Eli's eyes.
The tension in the air was broken when the kettle began to whistle shrilly, startling the girls as Nozomi rushed to get the tea ready. There was a short pause, a moment for Eli's heart to slow down, before Nozomi began speaking again, her words light as she poured the hot water into a teapot.
"I'm sorry for teasing you. No, I'm not the same witch from those stories. That woman... she's been dead for many years now. I was her apprentice."
Eli startled at this; glancing around, her eyes landed on a neat little shrine in the corner, a stick of incense burning in front of an earthenware jar. She felt her hope ebb away little by little, a lump rising in her throat at the realization that this wasn't the same witch. She couldn't help her sister after all.
Her attention was drawn back to Nozomi as the witch set the teapot down on the table between them, pouring out two steaming cups of chamomile before settling down to sit as well. "Most of the stories you've heard... they were made-up by my master herself, in order to make people leave her alone. She was a hermit, and didn't like the company of others."
Nozomi smiled, and Eli felt her heart stutter in response. Embarrassed, she brought her cup to her lips and sipped, only for her tongue to be scalded by the tea. This was a disaster. Fanning her hand in front of her mouth, Eli swallowed down her pain and managed to ask, tears pricking the corners of her eyes, "W-Was she your mother?"
A cup of water was slid across the table to Eli, and the blonde grabbed at the cool drink gratefully. Another small smile had graced Nozomi's lips, but this one seemed sadder than the others. "No, we weren't related by blood at all. My parents abandoned me in the woods when I was still a baby, because my powers scared them." She glanced away, a faraway look in her eyes as her mouth relaxed into a serene smile. "She read it in her fortune that she was meant to find me, so she took me in and raised me."
Her eyes found Eli's then, and Eli found herself frozen under her gaze. For a long, breathless moment, neither of them spoke; Eli became aware of every beat of her heart as the seconds pulsed by, and she swallowed, transfixed by what she saw in the witch's eyes.
"Today, I read in my fortune that someone was going to come here in search of my help." She smiled then, the corners of her eyes crinkling in mirth. "Tell me what you need, and I'll try to help you however I can."
Hope bloomed in Eli's chest, and for the first time in a long time, she felt herself smiling as well. "T-Thank you... You have no idea what your kindness means to me. I'll pay you back, however you want."
At that, Nozomi looked so startled Eli had half a mind to turn around and see what was behind her. "Pay me?' She asked, confused, her eyes wide as she tried to make sense of Eli's words.
"Of course I'll pay you, I can't ask you to work for free." She felt her face heat up, slightly, as she remembered the small amount of money in the bag at her side. She had been planning on using it to get herself and Alisa as far away from here as possible someday, but now... "I- I don't have much, but please believe me when I say I always pay back my debts." She glanced back up at Nozomi, her jaw set and a determined frown in place as her hands balled into fists in her lap. "I will pay you back in full for helping me, so please, please-" and here, much to her horror, her voice cracked, her throat raw with unspilled tears at the thought of her baby sister, dying alone in a house that wasn't a home anymore. "... Please, help me."
Eli was too ashamed, too embarrassed by her display of emotions to look up and see what expression Nozomi was wearing on her face. She kept her eyes downcast as her hands trembled, trying to keep her tears in check.
So when two hands reached out to gently hold her own, Eli was startled. Looking up, she found that Nozomi had come around the table to sit at her side, her hands enveloping around Eli's. Her eyes were too bright, but still her smile never wavered as she said, softly, "Of course I'll help you."
All at once, Eli was overcome with the urge to reach out and hug the girl. She stopped herself from acting on that impulse; Nozomi had already seen too much as is. But she couldn't stop a tear from sliding down her cheek as she smiled back at the witch, her shoulders shuddering in the effort it took to hold in her sobs.
"Thank you."
-
Nozomi was going to have to thank every god in the sky, for blessing her with the presence of Eli.
She dared to take another peek up from the spellbook in her lap, to look over at the beautiful girl in her humble tower. Eli was the kind of girl who deserved to be dressed in diamonds and living in a palace; to think that she would grace Nozomi's home like this, playing with her bratty cat with a piece of string, it made Nozomi's heart flutter to think about.
But there was no time for that; Nozomi hugged the book to her chest as she walked over to one of the many storage cabinets against the wall, searching it for the ingredients she needed. From the symptoms Eli had described, her sister was in one of the last stages of this particular sickness. It was going to take an incredibly potent potion to help her.
"Eli, would you mind if I asked you a question?"
The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself; Nozomi pursed her lips, as she quietly chastised herself for being so bold. She disguised her mortification by rummaging through one of the shelves, loudly clinking and clanking the jars and bottles crowded on top of each other.
The blonde girl surprised her by replying, a smile in her voice, "It would depend on the question."
Nozomi hummed under her breath, her heart pounding with joy at the tentative approval. What to ask, what to ask... as luck would have it, the ingredient she needed was hiding among the pickled vegetables. She turned around to find the blonde girl watching her, her eyes curious and her smile coy.
Nozomi's heart skidded to a stop, then rushed forward too quickly, her breath utterly taken away by Eli. She clutched the smooth glass of the jar in her hand a little tighter, took a deep breath, then walked back to the kitchen table. She didn't look up as she worked, but she knew Eli was still watching when she finally asked, her voice gentle, "Why did you come to me, when there are doctors in town better suited to help your sister?"
For a long, breathless moment, the only sound in the room was Soramaru's impatient chirps, and the soft clink of glass bottles as Nozomi put them back down on the table. She didn't dare look up, her lungs burning with the breath she refused to exhale as she waited for what Eli would say next.
When Eli did finally speak, her voice was a knife, sharp and cutting. "Because the doctor is useless, and my stepmother would rather have my sister die than spend money to save her."
Nozomi paused over her big wood bowl, her eyes shifting up to finally look at Eli. The girl was still dangling the string for Soramaru, but she had a far off look in her eyes and her voice was distant as she continued. "My mother died when Alisa and I were still very little. My father remarried, and then he died as well. My stepmother owns my house and my wealth now."
Blue eyes snapped up to meet Nozomi's, and Nozomi found herself arrested under her gaze.
"That's why I need your help"
She didn't say anything else, but she didn't have to. Nozomi understood. She bowed her head as she looked back down, her mind racing as she tried to think of the right words to say. "The gods have set a difficult path for you to walk, Eli. I'm sorry."
A very unladylike snort carried across the room, and the witch had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing at the sound. "If this is the work of the gods, then the gods are cruel." Eli's voice was flat now, but there was no anger in it, just fatigue.
Taking mortar and pestle into her hands, Nozomi began grinding herbs down, her thoughts weaving and tangling together. Of course Eli would be tired. She was tired of having no say in what happened next in her story. She was tired of fate. She was just tired. The work gave her something to focus on as she spoke, piecing together what she wanted to say like a puzzle. "The gods can be cruel... fate can be cruel. The trials we're put through in our lives, they're not fair, so much so that you can't help but wonder what you did to deserve any of this."
She paused, her hands aching under the strain of grinding the plants down. The pulse just under her skin, the heartbeat in her chest; she held her hands over her heart as she closed her eyes, a small smile on her lips.
"But, when we overcome those trials, we're all the stronger for it. And we always overcome them in the end, don't we?" She opened her eyes again to find Eli, and smiled warmly at the other girl. "After all, you wouldn't be here if you had given up by now."
She took the mortar back in her hand and began to stir the powder into the bowl, still smiling fondly to herself. "And besides, fate can be kind as well. Fate is what led me to meeting you tonight, Erichi. And for that, I'm very grateful."
Her hands stopped working, her heart beating a little too fast as the full realization of everything she had just said slowly dawned on her. Oh dear, what had she done? She couldn't just say things like that, especially to someone she just met. And calling her Erichi? What was she thinking? That was too familiar a nickname, she was overstepping boundaries and forgetting herself in her excitement. She wouldn't blame Eli at all if she left right now, offended beyond words.
"Nozomi... thank you."
The witch looked up from her bowl, startled to find Eli was looking at her with a small smile on her lips. Flustered and embarrassed, Nozomi muttered something incoherent under her breath, ducking her head so that Eli couldn't see the blush that rose to her cheeks. She was probably stirring a little too enthusiastically, but anything was better than thinking about Eli smiling her like that. It was too much for her already overstimulated heart to handle.
They settled back into another silence, this time punctuated by Soramaru purring in Eli's lap, and the quiet incantations Nozomi mumbled with each ingredient she added to her potion. It wasn't until Nozomi had set a pot to boil on the stove that the quiet was broken again, this time by Eli.
"Nozomi, may I ask you a question?"
"Of course you may," Nozomi replied lightly, secretly thrilled that Eli had anything to ask her at all. She turned away from the stove to sit back down at the table, her eyes flicking over to the blonde girl's before she set back to work.
"Do people often visit you, when they need help with something?"
Nozomi paused at the question, biting down on her bottom lip. She kept her hands busy chopping and mixing, her voice purposefully nonchalant as she hummed, thoughtfully, "Hmm, not really, no."
Her stomach began to hurt, she felt like she might throw up, she waited for what Eli would say next. Her hands began to tremble, her heart clenched and her fingers gripped the bowl too hard, as all she could do was wait, wait, wait.
"Then... am I the first person you've met since your master died?"
Slowly, her gaze fixated on the gnarled wood of the table, Nozomi nodded her head yes. She slowly released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding, then turned back to the stove. With her back to Eli, she wiped furiously at her eyes as she stirred the bubbling pot. The years of loneliness were threatening to suffocate her where she stood, but she held them back. She had lived all these years alone; it didn't hurt anymore. She could live with this. She had to live with this.
There was another pause, another lull, before Eli's voice rang out again, filling the room with her question. "Have you ever thought about leaving this tower?"
This time, Nozomi was ready. "Ah, I think about it all the time. I'd love nothing more than to leave, but it's... not that simple." She smiled sadly to herself, her brows furrowed.
"What do you mean?"
The witch took the pot off the stove, waving her hand over the potion and saying words of power in a strange tongue. She turned back to the kitchen table, her eyes on her hands as she said, as lightly as she could manage, "Before my master died, she placed a curse on me so that I could never leave this tower. It was to protect me, I'm sure, but..." She shrugged helplessly, glancing up to smile warmly at Eli. "I don't mind. I have Soramaru and the other animals for company, and the gods and spirits to keep me occupied."
To her surprise, Eli frowned at her words. "Don't you want to break the curse?" She asked, her eyes piercing as she stared the witch down. Nozomi swallowed around the lump in her throat, trying not to fidget under the blonde's too keen gaze.
Of course Nozomi wanted to break the curse. She had tried everything she could think of, she had searched the tower from top to bottom, she had read every book front to back and back again, and yet she couldn't find a single hint of what the key to her freedom might be. No matter what she did, no matter what she tried, no matter how hard she prayed, she was still trapped here. She had begun to wonder if there even was a way to break the curse in the first place.
She had begun to wonder if this tower would become her grave.
She told Eli none of this, though. Instead, she smiled sadly, and replied softly, "More than anything, Erichi."
-
The sky was grey with dawn's first light when Eli finally arrived back home, exhausted from lack of sleep but triumphantly holding Nozomi's potion in her hands. Carefully, she crept through the door and tip-toed to her room, lungs burning with the breath she held. Alisa was still in bed, still sleeping and still sweaty with fever. Eli's heart thudded too loud in her ears; there was still time. She could still be saved.
Gently, Eli lifted Alisa's head, tilting her forward ever so slightly. With shaky fingers, Eli uncorked the potion, and tipped the glass to her sister's lips. Alisa coughed, then drank the potion down, Eli all the while watching her as anxiety coiled her stomach into knots. Nozomi had said she wouldn't see a difference right away, but Eli searched for one anyway. Was it just her imagination, or was Alisa's face a little more relaxed? Was she breathing more easily now? Had some color come back to her cheeks?
The clanging of metal on metal interrupted Eli's thoughts, and she turned to glare at the service bell on the wall. It seemed her stepmother was up; Eli glanced back down at Alisa, stroking her little sister's hair out of her face, before leaving to start making breakfast for the household.
Her stepfamily must have sensed that Eli was bone tired from staying up all night, like a pack of hyenas picking out the weakest member of the herd. They made sure to keep her busy all day with chore after chore, errand after errand. Eli didn't have a single moment to herself to steal a quick nap, or go back to her room to check on Alisa. Her feet were sore and her head was pounding, but Eli only frowned and continued working. She wasn't going to complain and give them the satisfaction of knowing that they had won. She was stronger than all of them, and she was going to prove it.
It wasn't until her stepmother and sisters finally went to bed that Eli could go back to her room, weary with exhaustion. She sank into a dreamless sleep the instant her head hit the pillow, blissfully dead to the world as she finally got the rest she so desperately needed. All thoughts of witches and cats and Alisa were swept from her mind...
Until a voice stirred Eli awake again.
She woke up slowly, yawning and rubbing the crust out of her eyes. It was still dark out; it wasn't morning yet. Annoyed, Eli made to go back to sleep, except a tiny, weak voice spoke up again. "Eli...?"
Now wide awake, Eli looked around to find Alisa sitting up, her eyes open and alert as she stared at her older sister in wide-eyed confusion. Eli's heart threatened to burst out of her chest at the sight; tears filled her eyes as without thinking, she flung her arms around her little sister's shoulders, pulling her into a crushing hug. Alisa squeaked in protest but hugged back, a smile in her voice as she teased her big sister, "Aww Eli, did you miss me that much?"
"Don't you ever scare me like that ever again," she replied, giving her sister one last squeeze before sitting back, searching Alisa for any more signs of illness. She placed a hand to Alisa's forehead, sighing in relief at the lack of temperature.
"How long did I sleep?" Alisa asked curiously, raising her brows slightly as Eli took her wrist in her hands and felt for her pulse. After a pause, Eli replied, a pleased little smile on her face, "You were asleep for two days, Alisochka."
"Two days?" Alisa's eyes had grown wide as saucers, distressed by this new information. Eli simply nodded, her lips pressed together in a firm line. She wasn't going to tell her sister that she had almost died. Instead, she managed a small smile for Alisa, combing her fingers through her sister's fine blonde hair.
"You're awake and better now, and that's what matters." Eli leaned over to place a kiss on Alisa's forehead, just like their mama used to do, and Alisa giggled in response. "How do you feel? Does anything hurt or bother you?" Eli searched Alisa's face intently, looking for even the slightest flash of pain in her eyes.
Alisa hummed under her breath for a moment, her eyes closed in thought. "I feel very weak, like all the strength's been sapped from my body. And it feels like there's a great big weight on my chest." She blinked up at Eli, her head tilted ever so slightly to one side as she tried to interpret the expression on her sister's face.
Eli frowned and bit the tip of her tongue, fear crawling through her heart again. Nozomi had said that there would be side effects to the potion, and that Alisa might still have some lingering symptoms... but she had invited Eli to come back to her tower for another potion, if she thought Alisa might need it. Looking at her baby sister now, Eli's instincts were locked in a battle with her crushing need for sleep. Eventually, logic and reasoning won, and she rose to her feet.
"I'm going to get you some more medicine, so you stay here and get some more rest, okay?" Alisa opened her mouth to say something, most likely in protest of Eli leaving, but the blonde was already several steps ahead and pushing a glass of water into the girl's hands. "Drink plenty of water, go to the bathroom, and then sleep. I'll be back before dawn, but don't stay up waiting for me."
The younger girl watched as Eli rustled around for something hidden under the mattress, sipping her water thoughtfully. "Where are you going to get the medicine for me?" She finally asked, curiously, as Eli stood up with the small bag of beads she had been collecting off the floors of her stepsisters' bedrooms.
Eli bit her lip, in an attempt to stop herself from smiling, before she answered, heart fluttering in her chest, "From a friend."
-
It was Soramaru's yowling that eventually woke Nozomi up the next day. She slowly sat up in bed, yawning and stretching lazily as her cat impatiently kneaded the bed sheets. Nozomi blinked drowsily at her friend, a sleepy smile on her face. "Mm, what a nice dream~" She rolled back under the covers, and was immediately met with kitty claws digging into her skin.
"Ouch! Hey!" Fully-awake now, Nozomi threw a pillow at the cat, who scampered out of the way, spitting indignantly. After checking for blood and finding none, Nozomi finally got out of bed, grumbling under her breath as she shuffled downstairs.
Her cat was waiting for her at the table, tail flicking back and forth as she watched Nozomi intently. The witch paused in her stumbling steps, glaring down at the animal before sticking her tongue out. "I hope you get fat, Soramaru," Nozomi mumbled under her breath, as she poured water into the kettle for her morning tea.
It wasn't until she placed her cat's breakfast down at the table that Nozomi finally noticed the bead necklace lying next to her tarot card deck. Her heart stuttered in her chest as she blinked down at the necklace; all at once, her memories from the night before came flooding back to her. So it hadn't been a dream after all...
Carefully, she picked up the necklace, examining it closely while her heart beat faster and faster. It just barely qualified as a necklace in the first place; it was held together by the string Eli had been using to play with Soramaru last night, and there were hardly any beads. Just a small handful, a hodgepodge of beads of various sizes and shapes and colors. She rolled each one between her fingertips, hardly daring to breathe as she beamed at the tiny gift. It was her first present.
Nozomi held her breath as she tied the string behind her neck, triple knotting it just to be safe. Touching the beads where they rested against her skin, she smiled again. She truly was blessed.
It was out of habit that Nozomi picked up her tarot deck, shuffling the cards obliviously as she hummed under her breath. Without really paying attention, she placed a single card down on the table; the Hermit, as usual. She sighed to herself, shaking her head as she shuffled the minor arcana. She often wished fate would pick a different card to represent her, but it really was fitting. Wondering what kind of person she would have been like if she didn't have magic, if she could have grown up like a normal girl with friends and a family, were long ago daydreams Nozomi didn't care to think about anymore.
Underneath the Hermit, she placed three new cards; one for the physical, the mental, and the spiritual. Nozomi stared down at them, her brow creasing in thought. The Two of Cups, the Seven of Pentacles, and the Ace of Swords...
She didn't dare hope that maybe, just maybe, this meant that Eli was going to visit her again.
-
When Nozomi opened the door for her that night, Eli's eyes immediately fell on the bead necklace around her neck. She smiled, glancing back up to meet Nozomi's gaze. "I take it you like it?" She asked, teasingly, her fingers tightening around the small bag at her side. In response, the witch puffed out her cheeks, holding the door open for Eli.
"Of course I do, Erichi~ How could I not love a gift from you?" Eli paused as she took off her shoes, her face heating up at the genuine gratitude in the witch's voice. She ducked her head down in embarrassment, only to come face-to-face with Soramaru. Cooing, Eli scooped the small cat up in her arms, and over the meows of protest, she replied, happily, "I'm glad."
Blue eyes met green, as the witch and the princess exchanged smiles; Eli found that she was in no hurry to move, simply enjoying the quiet presence of Nozomi's company. It was funny, how quickly and easily she had become familiar with the witch of the woods. And yet, it didn't feel out of place. It felt right. Eventually, though, Soramaru began to wriggle and yowl, and the kettle began to whistle. Nozomi's eyes widened as she bustled off to get their tea ready, while Eli wrestled with the disgruntled cat.
"How's your sister, Eli? Did the medicine work?" Nozomi called from the stove as Eli pried Soramaru's claws out of her dress, grumbling under her breath at the bratty kitten. The black cat darted away to sit herself at the table, glaring scornfully at the blonde as Eli sat down beside her. She stuck her tongue out at the cat, until she realized Nozomi had turned around, and was watching them with an impish grin.
Immediately, Eli flustered, and busied herself with picking cat hair off her chest as she replied, smiling despite herself, "She's awake, and she's feeling better already." She glanced up to meet Nozomi's eyes, her expression soft as she continued, "It's all thanks to you, Nozomi. Thank you. I can't thank you enough for what you've done for us."
Nozomi pushed a steaming cup of tea across the table to Eli, her face thoughtful as she poured herself a cup as well. It didn't escape Eli, however, that Nozomi was blushing. "You flatter me, it's only because I happen to have so many spellbooks with me." She smiled up at Eli, the corners of her eyes crinkling. "Thank the gods your sister's okay now. I was praying for her all day."
Her grip around her cup of tea tightened, her mouth pinched as she tried to find the right words to say. "Give yourself some credit, Nozomi, you're the one who saved my sister." Eli said it gently, her brows knit together in concern. She hadn't offended her, had she? She admired Nozomi's spirituality, but it was Nozomi's magic and skill that had helped Alisa. She blew on her tea as she watched the witch digest her words, her mouth a surprised little o.
Eventually, Nozomi regained her composure, a faint smile on her lips. "I wonder," she hummed, taking a sip of tea. If she was to venture a guess, Eli would say she looked pleased by the praise. She smiled happily in return, until she remembered just why she had come back tonight. "But, Alisa did say she felt weak, and there's a weight on her chest. Is there anything you can do to help her regain her strength?"
"Of course there is," Nozomi mused, taking another sip of her tea. "It sounds like she's going to recover in the next day or so, so I can make a simple potion to help speed the healing process up a little... It's good to see you smiling so much, Erichi~"
Eli startled at that; she hadn't even realized she was smiling until Nozomi pointed it out. When was the last time she had smiled this much? She couldn't remember; it's been a long time since she last felt so content and at ease. In reply, she smiled at Nozomi again, and in turn the witch giggled.
Maybe this is what it felt like to be happy all the time.
-
"Would you like me to read your fortune?"
She set the pot down on the stove with a clank, turning back around to smile at Eli. They had chatted amiably as Nozomi worked, but Nozomi had noticed that Eli's eyes had been resting on her tarot decks all night long. Getting to see even a little bit of the path fate has Eli walking... it gave Nozomi goosebumps to think about.
Eli, to her credit, flushed pink at having been caught. She frowned as her eyes glanced worriedly back to the cards. "Is that alright? I don't want to interrupt you." She met the witch's eyes, and Nozomi smiled, sitting herself down across from Eli at the table. "It's fine, it's fine, we have to wait for the potion to settle anyway." She waved her hand vaguely through the air as she picked up the deck of major arcana, holding it out to Eli in a neat little stack. "Can you please shuffle the decks for me?"
Wide-eyed, Eli took the cards carefully in her hands, as if they might fly away at any moment. "How?" She asked, curious as she smoothed a hand over the top of the deck. Nozomi's cards were well-used, a hand-me-down from her master after the old witch had passed away. They were as familiar as the back of her hands; she smiled as she handed the deck of minor arcana across the table, her heart beating a tattoo against her chest.
"Whatever feels right to you."
The blonde nodded, then set to work, slowly and methodically shuffling each deck. Nozomi took the opportunity to watch Eli, her eyes glazed over with a kind of quiet adoration. The way she concentrated so completely on the cards, the relaxed expression on her face, the ease in which her hands delicately cut the deck, shuffled the cards back into place... it was hypnotizing to watch. Eli was a dancer, all grace and poise, her every movement elegant. Nozomi sighed softly in wonder, until she realized Eli was done and holding the cards back over to her, staring at her expectantly and with her eyebrows slightly raised.
The witch coughed and flustered, her face heating up as she tried to compose herself. "Thank you," she murmured, taking the decks back and ducking her head down, staring intently at the cards rather than looking up to meet those intelligent blue eyes. Her heart thrummed as she took a deep breath, then fanned the cards out face down on the table. "Pick a card."
Like before, Eli frowned at the cards set before her, all her energy concentrated on this choice. That single-minded determination... it could move mountains, Nozomi had no doubt about that. Finally, Eli picked a card, sliding it across the table towards her. She sucked in a breath, then flipped it over.
Nozomi peered over the table to get a better look, and smiled. "Ah, the Lovers..." She collected the cards back into a stack, humming to herself. When she looked back up, she was surprised to find Eli blushing, her body tensed as she stared, unwavering, at the Lovers' embrace.
"I-I-" She stuttered, her voice thick with thinly veiled humiliation. Nozomi placed a hand to her lips, to stop herself from laughing.
"It's a card symbolic of love, of course, but it's also a card of indecisiveness," the witch explained, a sweet smile on her lips as she watched Eli relax. "This card represents you, and a choice you will have to make sometime soon."
"Now..."
Again, she fanned out the deck of minor arcana, gesturing with her hand. "Pick three this time."
Eli nodded, then hesitated, her lips pursed in thought. A long moment passed, until Eli reached out and picked three different cards out. Flipping them over one-by-one, Nozomi blinked, a small exhale escaping her lips. The Nine of Wands and the Ten of Pentacles.
"In the choice you will have to make, there will be two options." Nozomi spoke quietly, her voice certain as she read fate's intentions. "One of your options will be a test of courage, and lead to a life of hard work. You've known hard work your entire life, though, so this doesn't scare you. What you fear is accepting how you feel."
She glanced up, and met Eli's intent gaze, a frown on the other girl's face. Nozomi smiled. "The other option will be an opportunity for riches and fortune. Wealth will be restored to you, and your life will be one of luxury. You won't have to work another day of your life, if this is your choice." She closed her eyes, her next words spoken with confidence.
"Either path, ultimately, will lead you to your happiness."
She reached out and tapped the last card with the tip of her finger, the Ace of Cups. "Love and compassion will be the deciding factor in your choice." A pause, and then she grinned. "Simply put, listen to your heart."
Eli sat back, her arms crossed over her chest as she stared at the four cards that foretold her fate. "It can't possibly be that simple," she said flatly, her brows knit. She wasn't one to blindly believe in what someone else told her; Nozomi could see that for herself. She placed each of the decks in tidy stacks back on the table, humming as she considered her next words carefully.
"Of course not. But what if it is?" She asked with her head tilted, watching Eli's face with interest. She was lost in thought, her face guarded as her eyes remained focused on the cards.
Finally, she sighed, and glanced up at Nozomi, smiling as well.
“Then I’m glad fate has given me a choice for once.”
-
The invitation arrived at noon, while Eli was hanging the laundry to dry. Alisa heard everything the courier told their stepmother, and wasted no time in sneaking out to share the news.
"It's a New Year's party, and everyone's invited!" She gushed breathlessly, her eyes full of stars. "It's tomorrow night, and there's going to be dancing and drinking and all kinds of food! And the prince is going to be there, and he's going to be looking for a bride-" She let out an oomph as Eli shoved the basket of linens into Alisa's arms; it didn't deter her from continuing to speak, rushing over her words in her excitement, "He said anyone can come to the party, Eli, anyone! Including us! What if the prince falls in love with you, and you two get married and you become the queen, and I'll be the princess, and-"
"Alisochka," Eli interrupted her, exasperated despite herself. "You know that she will never let us go to the party. And besides, we have nothing to wear. We'll stick out like sore thumbs."
"Oh Eli, who cares about that?" Alisa huffed, pouting up at her big sister. "Anyone can go, and that means us too, even if we're not dressed up!"
Eli sighed, hanging another sheet on the line as she worried the inside of her cheek with her teeth. If she had any doubts left about magic, they were gone now. Nozomi's potion had worked a miracle; Alisa was back to her old, cheeky self again. "If she catches us there, it'll be trouble. We can't risk that. And besides, you're still recovering-"
"I'm fine now!" Alisa whined, her brows knit in a way that made Eli wonder if that's how she looked when she was frustrated. "And we can hide from her! I'm not scared of them, Eli, and you shouldn't be either!"
"I'm not scared of them," Eli snapped, her lips pursed together as she hung up a blouse. "I just don't want any trouble."
"You want to do what's easy and safe, is what you really mean." Alisa placed the laundry basket down with a thunk, her expression hardened as she glared up at her sister. "We've been living like this for years now, Eli. I just want one night to forget who I am, and have fun for once. Don't you want that, too?"
Guilt washed over Eli like a wave; she understood all too well what her sister meant. She was tired too, tired to the bone from too little sleep and too much walking through the forest at night. But at the same time...
She closed her eyes, and instantly her mind was flooded with the smell of incense. Of a soft cat in her lap, a smile and a laugh, and pretty green eyes. She smiled a little at the memory; she didn't need a fancy party or a prince to make her forget herself.
But still, she couldn't ignore her little sister's puppy dog eyes, nor the pleading whimper in her voice. She frowned, thinking. Maybe they could wear something to cover their hair, making themselves look less recognizable among the party-goers... And this would be good for Alisa, she reassured herself. She was still so young; she deserved something like this, every once in awhile. And how many times was every peasant girl in the kingdom invited to a New Year's party at the palace?
And besides, she could see if Nozomi wanted to come along...
Eli sighed, then smiled at her sister.
"You win."
-
"A party?" Nozomi asked, startled, pausing before she could sip her tea.
Eli peered up at her, a crooked smile on her lips as she slid another bead onto the string in her lap. "Yes, everyone in the land's invited. Alisa convinced me to go... It'll be good for her, she doesn't get to have much fun anymore." Nozomi nodded absentmindedly, drinking her tea as she stared dreamily into space. It sounded like fun...
"And I was wondering if you'd like to go with us, Nozomi."
The witch blinked, her heart freezing in her chest as she processed Eli's words. Eli wanted her to go to the party? She wanted her to leave the tower? Her hands began to tremble, and her stomach hurt as uninvited thoughts began to flood her mind.
"I-I'm flattered Erichi, but I... I can't leave this tower. I'm still cursed, remember?" She fidgeted in place, silently willing her heart to stop beating so loudly, please, otherwise Eli was sure to hear it.
"Yes, but now you have me." Eli leaned forward, grinning knowingly. "I'm going to help you break the curse."
Rather than doing what it was told, Nozomi's heart began to beat even more frantically. "W-What? How?" She asked, wide-eyed, not daring to hope that this might work. She had tried everything she could think of, everything she could find to try and break the curse herself. If anyone could do it, though, it would be Eli.
Eli set her beads down on the table, drumming her fingers against the wood. "I don't know the first thing about how curses work, but maybe the key is having someone else with you when you perform your spells." She smiled, even as Nozomi's heart lodged itself in her throat, her voice self-assured as she continued, "I'm sure we can break the curse together. It doesn't hurt to try, right?"
There was a long, silent moment that passed between the two girls. Nozomi clenched her hands in her lap, her bottom lip between her teeth, trying in vain to swallow down the lump in her throat. "It... it does hurt though, Erichi." She couldn't look at the blonde anymore; she glanced away, her gaze landing on the shrine for the old witch. "Every time I try something new, and every time it doesn't work, I lose a little more hope. It wears me down, Erichi. My heart can only take so much disappointment before it becomes too much to bear."
She didn't realize she was crying until she felt the tears spilling down her cheeks, and she shuddered, swiping the back of her hands over her eyes. This was why she had given up trying to break the curse. This is why she had given up waiting for someone to come find her. This was why when she first met Eli, she had fallen in love at first sight.
Because to Nozomi, Eli was hope.
Arms pulled her into a warm embrace, and Nozomi flinched at the contact, surprised to find Eli had come around the table. She was kneeling on the floor next to her, hugging Nozomi tightly as she, too, held back her own tears. "I know," she whispered, smiling thinly. "I know how much it hurts, Nozomi. But you're not alone anymore."
At that, Nozomi sobbed. She hugged Eli back, holding onto the other girl like she was an anchor in a storm, like sunshine on a cloudy day. She shuddered and wept, whispering apologies under her breath as she tried to stop crying. And Eli, Eli was heaven sent. She never pulled away. She stroked Nozomi's back, spoke quiet words in a foreign language in her ear as slowly, Nozomi began to calm down.
She didn't know how long they stayed like that, together on the floor, holding each other tightly as they tried to control their tears. It might have been minutes, it might have been hours. The only thing Nozomi was certain of was when she looked up and met Eli's eyes. Her heart thumped at how close their faces were. She bit her lip, wondering, vaguely, what it would be like to kiss Eli...
Ah, but Eli deserved better.
Eli deserved a prince and a castle, all the riches and happiness in the world, just like her fortune had said.
So instead, she smiled. "I- I don't feel up to trying anything tonight, Erichi. I'm sorry." She hesitated, pulling away from Eli to sit back on her feet. She reached out to hold Eli's hands in her own, however, as she spoke up again. "But... thank you. Thank you so, so much, for everything you've done for me. Truly, you are..." The best thing that's ever happened to me. "Amazing."
Nozomi squeezed Eli's hands for just one second longer, before she let go, slowly getting to her feet. "I can't go to the party with you, but... I still want you and Alisa to have fun. So let me do this for you." She walked over to a cabinet, rustling around for ink and paper. On each slip of paper, she wrote a spell, granting her power to them through the small incantations she mumbled. When she was done, she handed them both to Eli, her eyes sore and her hands still shaking, but with a sincere smile on her face. "These are illusion spells, they'll disguise you and Alisa to look like princesses for one night. It's my gift to both of you, for giving me so much more in these last few days than I've had in my entire life."
She was crying again, but this time Eli was the one who wiped her tears offer her face, her own eyes over-bright. Her lips trembled with the effort it took to smile, but she still smiled nonetheless.
"We will break your curse Nozomi. I promise."
-
The next day was full of shouting and the ringing clang of the service bell. Eli and Alisa were kept busy helping their stepmother and sisters prepare for the party, running from one room to the next and then back again. Their stepmother was especially strict, and left no room for error as she breathed down the two Ayase girls' necks. The prince was looking for a princess, and she wanted to make absolutely certain that her daughters looked the part.
Alisa turned it into a game, taking any and every opportunity to pull a face when their stepmother's back was turned. Eli found herself stifling giggles all day, her sister's good mood rubbing off on her. No matter how harshly their stepmother scolded them, the pair took secret delight in knowing they were going to the party as well.
As the day progressed, however, Eli found her thoughts drifting, constantly, back to the tower in the woods. As she mended a tear in a dress, she wondered what Nozomi was doing today. As she hunted through her stepsister's closet for a missing shoe, her thoughts drifted to Nozomi, and her reassurances that she didn't mind being alone. As she ran into town to buy a new pair of gloves for her stepmother, she couldn't stop thinking about Nozomi's tear-stained face.
She bit the inside of her lip, chewed on it carelessly as the hours passed and the sun began to set. When finally, finally, a carriage carried their stepfamily out of sight, Alisa turned to Eli with a beaming grin on her face, eyes sparkling up at her big sister.
"Let's go get ready Eli!" She laughed, running back into the house, but Eli could only manage a half-hearted smile. Her eyes trailed away from the castle, standing tall and proud in the distance; instead, she looked out across the treetops of the forest. Against the backdrop of the setting sun, the trees were black and ominous, another world entirely.
Nozomi was all alone in there, and Eli didn't know what to do.
When she returned to their bedroom, she found a princess waiting for her. She gasped despite herself, cooing over the beautiful gown Nozomi's spell had created for Alisa. Eli couldn't remember the last time she had seen her sister look so happy; she twirled to and fro around their tiny room, giggling as the skirt of her dress swished around her legs.
It was the perfect disguise; all Eli had to do was pick up the other spell, and she too would be turned into a princess. They could leave for the palace, and be the center of attention all night long. Who knows, maybe the prince would fall in love with one of them, and whisk them out of their stepmother's clutches and into a life of royalty.
Eli's eyes glazed over. Was that really what she wanted, though?
The more she thought about it, the more she realized she didn't want to go to the party. She wanted to trek through the forest again, tripping over tree roots and scraping her hands on thorns. She wanted to go to Nozomi's tower, and help the witch break her curse. She wanted to show Nozomi the world outside her tower, outside the forest, outside the castle town she and Alisa had grown up in. She wanted to give Nozomi a choice, maybe the first choice she had ever been given in her life.
She smiled weakly to herself; was this the choice the cards had foretold?
"Eli, what's wrong?"
Alisa's worried voice snapped Eli back to reality, and she smiled wanly at her sister. "Just thinking."
Her little sister puffed up her cheeks in indignation, as she asked, suspicious, "You're not changing your mind, are you?"
Eli sighed, and fell back on the bed. She stared up at the ceiling, frowning as she tried to make sense of what she was thinking and feeling. Tentatively, she spoke up, "I might be, Alisa, but not for the reasons you think."
There was a pause, and then the bed dipped beside Eli. She peeked over to find Alisa watching her, a worried frown marring her features. "What's going on?" She asked, genuine concern laced through her voice, and Eli couldn't help but smile.
"I think I'm in love," she whispered softly, her eyes closed as she realized, with certainty, that her words were truth. It wasn't a sudden revelation, an awakening of emotions that threatened to drown her. Just as being with Nozomi felt right, this, too, felt right. There was no uncertainty, no second-guesses; this was real.
She cracked an eye open, and found Alisa staring at her, her eyes wide and a big smile on her lips, her hands holding her face in joy. "Really, Eli? Is this true? You're in love? That's- That's wonderful!" Alisa laughed and hugged her sister, smooshing her cheek against Eli's. "Who is it, is it the witch of the woods? I knew it! You've been smiling so much more lately, and-"
Eli groaned and hid her face in her hands. "You're just saying that Alisa," she accused her sister lightly, but there was a smile on her lips and a faint blush on her cheeks. Her expression turned stony, though, as she continued, "Do you think... do you think I should go to her instead of the party?"
"Of course!" Alisa sat up, her expression shocked, as if there was no doubt in her mind that Eli had to go to Nozomi right away.
There was a long moment of quiet between the sisters, before Eli murmured, her voice melancholic, "I don't know what I should do. What if we can't break her curse? What if she's trapped in that tower forever? What if she doesn't feel the same way? What if I give up this opportunity, only for my feelings not to be returned? What if-" Her voice broke, her heart lodging itself in her throat. "What if I lose her, and I never get to see her again?"
The room was quiet. Fear of the unknown was an inherent instinct in everyone; she was no different. Her future stretched too large and too foreboding in front of her, too many questions and not enough answers and no end in sight. She didn't know what would happen next; she stood at a crossroads, her fate branching out any number of ways, and she had no way of knowing which path was the right one.
Alisa ran her fingers soothingly through Eli's hair, and Eli wondered, vaguely, when her little sister had grown up so much. "You're overthinking this. Take everything one step at a time. Don't jump ahead too far and start worrying about things that haven't happened yet, or might never even happen in the first place."
Eli slowly exhaled the breath she had been holding in her lungs, her heart thudding in her chest. She was right. If she let fear dictate her life forever, then she would always be stagnant. She'd never move forward, and she'd be stuck in one place for the rest of her life because she was too paralyzed with fear to even try. And she had to try. She realized that now, because if she didn't, she'd live with her regrets until the day she died.
The two girls were silent for a little longer, Eli collecting her resolve and Alisa quietly waiting for her decision. Eli inhaled a shaky breath, then asked, softly, "Alisochka, will you be okay going to the party by yourself?"
"Yes, I'll meet up with Yukiho and go with her." Alisa beamed reassuringly, and Eli was struck again by how proud she was of her little sister. She sat up and ruffled Alisa's hair, to which Alisa replied with a squeak.
"Don't stay out too late, the spell isn't going to last forever." She leaned forward and kissed her sister's hair. "Have fun, I'll see you when I get home, okay?"
"Okay. Good luck, Eli."
Eli laughed weakly; she felt sick to her stomach, and her fears were filling her heart with dread. She was going to need all the luck she could get.
-
For as long as she could remember, Nozomi has always loved books. Every time the old witch had left the tower, the little girl had begged and pleaded for her to bring new books back with her. Sometimes, out of spite, the old witch would ignore Nozomi's requests. Other times, however, she conceded, and would bring all kinds of books of all kinds of sizes and subjects for her student.
And Nozomi read them all. She read the history books, the biographies, the books on war and religion. She leafed through the books full of maps, her eyes wide as she realized just how big the world is. She learned the names of plants and animals and fish and insects, tried new recipes and made them even better, hummed songs under her breath as she swept the tower floors.
But her favorite books were the ones with stories in them.
She would reread them again and again, never tiring of the magic between the pages. She cheered for the heroes and scorned the villains, her heart racing at the climax and sighing happily when the lovers finally found their happy ending. She had known without asking that the stories weren't real, that they were make believe and born out of the imagination of someone else's mind, but still. She found solace in those other worlds, made friends with the characters she had never really met. She would daydream about living in one of those tales, about finally leaving the tower and finding adventures.
Nozomi stared up at the books on the shelves, her eyes dim and her chin cupped in her hand. She had been a silly child, she realized that now. Those stories weren't real, just like all those adventures and people and happily ever after's weren't real, either. Real life wasn't a story, and real life didn't always have a happy ending. It had been foolish of her, to think that she could be the heroine in her own story. That she could be like one of the princesses in her books, who saved herself and defied fate to forge her own path in life. The corner of her mouth twitched at the thought, a soft exhale leaving her lips.
How her younger self would have wept, to see the kind of heroine she had grown up to be. There was nothing to be proud of; just a lonely witch, stuck in the same place she'd always been. No adventures, no battles to be won, no happy ending.
You have a friend now, a small voice reminded her, and Nozomi shook her head. Not anymore. She had sabotaged herself, wanting so badly to be a good friend, that she had given Eli exactly what she needed. The light of the moon illuminated the room, and she wondered what Eli must be doing right now. Was she already at the party? Did she look as beautiful as Nozomi had envisioned, when she had made that spell for her? Was she dancing with the prince?
A tear rolled down her cheek, but she didn't wipe it away. Eli deserved a happy ending. She deserved to be loved and adored by the entire kingdom, to have a gold crown and a beautiful dress. She deserved the world, something Nozomi just couldn't give her.
It was fine. It was better this way.
Without thinking, she picked a card off the top of her deck and placed it on the table. The Star's dazzling light was winking up at her, and Nozomi smiled weakly. It was the card she had picked out for Eli, the arcana that suited her best. More tears pricked the back of her eyes, but she bit her lip, frowning as she stopped herself from crying. No more tears. Crying wasn't going to do her any good. She should be happy for Eli, and content with what she already had.
Abruptly, she got to her feet, startling Soramaru awake where she slept beside her. The cat growled in disgust, staying behind while Nozomi climbed the stairs up to her bedroom. Sleep. Sleep would help. If she was asleep, she could dream, and in her dreams she could forget.
She sat down on her bed, braiding her hair over her shoulder as she began to list what she had to do tomorrow. She needed to look up a spell to fix a leak in the roof, and reorganize the cabinets again, and maybe clean the kitchen one more time...
There was a knock at the door, and Nozomi jumped out of her body. Her skin began to crawl as her stomach tied itself in knots; w-who could that be? Slowly, she creeped over to her window, her heart in her throat as she slowly peered over the edge.
And her heart immediately fell, plummeted right out of her chest as she realized it was Eli.
Eli, with her beautiful blonde hair and intelligent blue eyes, her back straight and her shoulders back, still in her peasant dress and slippers, a smudge of dirt on her cheek. She knocked on the door again, this time adding her voice, "Nozomi, please open the door!"
Nozomi tripped over herself, in her haste to hurry down the stairs. She flung the door open just as Eli was about to knock again, her fist raised and Nozomi's name on her lips. They stared at each other, their hearts beating as one, cheeks flushed and eyes wide in shock.
"What-" Nozomi's voice cracked, broke, splintered, before she found it again, swallowing as she tried again, shaking, "What are you doing here?"
The blonde frowned, confused. "Isn't it obvious?" She asked, taking a step forward, her hand reaching out to hold Nozomi's. "I'm here to break your curse."
"B-But the party, Alisa, the prince, why-"
"Because this is my choice, Nozomi," Eli cut her off suddenly, her hand squeezing around Nozomi's tightly. She bit her lip, swallowed, and Nozomi found herself fascinated, watching her as she spoke her next words. "You're my choice, Nozomi. I want to be with you."
She tightened her hold on the witch's hand. "And if you'll let me, I want to help you break the curse."
She was crying again, Nozomi realized distantly, but it was a far away, distant thought. She thought her heart must have stopped beating; had she fallen asleep so quickly? Because, surely, this had to be a dream, a cruel nightmare her mind was torturing her with-
"E-Eli, I..." No, this couldn't be a dream. Her hand ached in Eli's grasp, and her mind couldn't possibly have captured every detail of Eli's face so perfectly. Tentatively, her hand trembling, she reached out to touch Eli's face, her fingers just barely caressing her cheek. She sighed, stunned; this was real.
Her throat constricted, and she squeezed Eli's hand in return. This was real. She drew in a shaky breath, then managed a faint smile.
"I want to go with you."
Eli smiled, her face lighting up. And then she took a step back, pulling Nozomi along with her, and she gasped, her heart pounding-
There was a burst of light.
Nozomi blinked her eyes open in a daze, disoriented as she tried to piece together what had just happened. Her gaze fell on Eli, who was smiling, no, beaming at her.
The first thing she felt was the wind on her skin. She breathed in, and the smell of water and dirt filled her nose, almost choking her with how rich it was. There was Eli's hand, and the grass under her feet, and the realization that she was free. After all those years of solitude, she was finally free of the tower. She was finally free of the curse.
She stumbled forward then, falling into Eli's arms with a laugh, and Eli laughed with her, spinning them around in a happy, clumsy circle. Words would come later. For now they laughed and giggled and held onto each other, tripping over their own feet without a care in the world.
And when Nozomi stumbled and Eli caught her before she could fall, when their faces were too close and their hearts were beating too fast, Eli closed the space between them and finally kissed the witch she loved. And when they pulled apart, their eyes wide, they smiled at each other, and laughed, and then kissed again and again and again.
They faced hardships and trials and errors. There were sacrifices and careful planning and lots of backtracking. There were fights and arguments, long nights where neither of them spoke to each other. But there was also forgiveness, and successes, and quiet mornings where they simply held each other. There were festivals and birthdays and holidays, fireworks and dying embers in the ashes and held hands.
There was a soft promise, a kiss, and a love that lasted a lifetime.
Together, they found their happily ever after.